


Always One More Chance

by laurus_nobilis



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-05
Updated: 2012-12-05
Packaged: 2017-11-20 08:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/583441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurus_nobilis/pseuds/laurus_nobilis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ty Lee has changed for the better, and so have Mai and Zuko. She thinks it's only fair to give Azula the same chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always One More Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Femgenficathon with the prompt _Her wrath makes people tremble/ Her wrath is...a devastating flood / Which no one can withstand. Enheduenna (circa 2300-2225 B.C.E.), Sumerian priestess of Inanna, first recorded author and poet in world history._

It took some time until Ty Lee found out just what had happened to Azula.

There always seemed to be a good reason not to ask. Now that she and Mai lived in different Nations, they didn't get the chance to see each other as often as they used to. They had newer and happier things to talk about whenever they did meet. She saw Zuko even less, and it didn't feel right to upset him by asking about this, in those few moments when he could relax and be himself instead of the Fire Lord.

If the rest of her friends knew anything, Ty Lee had no idea. They rarely brought up the subject, and when they tried to, there was always something more important, something she had just remembered she needed to do, _right now_.

It took some time until Ty Lee admitted to herself that she kept making excuses.

 

* * *

"You know... I've been thinking."

Mai put down her cup of tea and looked at her with an expression that, after years and years of knowing each other, Ty Lee could interpret as interest about what she was going to say. Which didn't make it any easier. She hesitated a bit longer before she went on.

"... about Azula."

"I was wondering when you were going to ask," sighed Mai.

"It's not the happiest of subjects," she replied, a little defensive, perhaps, but she couldn't help it. Mai didn't seem bothered by it in the least.

"I know. That's why I didn't bring it up."

Ty Lee nodded, and even managed a small grin. She spent a moment trying to find the perfect words before she spoke again. Then she decided that there was no right way of asking this, so it was better to just do it.

"Do you know what happened to her? After... well, everything."

"I know," said Mai. Her expression became so closed that even Ty Lee had trouble reading it. "She's not in _prison_. Not like Ozai is, anyway. She's in Ember Island with Lo and Li."

"Just... just like that? No guards? No anything?"

Mai shrugged.

"Maybe there _are_ guards. I don't know." She looked away. "I... didn't ask about the details, either."

"... oh."

There were a few minutes of awkward silence while both of them pretended to be quite focused on their cups of tea. Ty Lee wasn't sure of what to think about this. Sure, it did seem like something Zuko would do. He had turned out to be a bit of a softy, in the end, hadn't he? And part of her was glad, in a way, that Azula didn't have to deal with the hardships of a prison. Not after all she had already been through. Of course, another part of her hadn't forgotten that she and Mai _had_ spent time in a very real prison, or who had sent them there. And yet _another_ part was worried about what might happen if Azula escaped. She had heard the story about her breakdown, yes, but... that had been a couple of years ago. She might be much, much better now. What if she decided she had to leave?

It was all very confusing. There had to be a way to sort out her feelings... get some closure...

"Don't do anything stupid," Mai told her all of a sudden. She blinked.

"Sorry?"

"I know what you're thinking. _Don't_."

"But –"

"It's just not a good idea, Ty Lee."

"You don't even know what the idea is!" she complained.

"If it involves Azula," said Mai, "it's a bad one."

"I just... I need to _know_ ," Ty Lee explained. "She's been our friend for so long, and –"

"Friend?" Mai interrupted, and for the first time she let her anger show. "She was never our _friend_. She was using us from the very beginning."

"That's not true," she whispered. "It wasn't always like that. Not really."

For what felt like a very long time, Mai didn't answer. Then she sighed.

"Lo and Li write to Zuko every week or so," she said. Ty Lee grinned brightly at her.

"Thanks."

"Oh, shut up," said Mai, and once again acted as if she had some very interesting tea.

 

* * *

Zuko rubbed his temples and sighed.

"You're going no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"Look, I promise that if you tell me it's dangerous, I won't go," Ty Lee said, very serious. "But perhaps... if she's doing better..."

He groaned, resigned, and Ty Lee knew that she had won. But she still waited for him to speak again, just in case he changed his mind.

"It's not... it's not _dangerous_. She's not going to attack you or anything," Zuko told her, still frowning. "But I don't think she'll be happy to see you, either."

"Only one way to find out!"

She grinned, and then jumped forwards to hug him without any kind of warning. She was sure that he'd run away if he had the time. True enough, he tensed quite a bit at first, but then he relaxed. He even managed to pat her back awkwardly. It was kind of adorable.

"Thank you, Zuko," she said when she let go of him at last. "It means a lot to me."

"Why?" he asked. He was genuinely confused; it showed. "Why do you want to go?"

It took her a moment to answer. Part of it was that she wanted to find the right words; part of it had much more to do with the fact that it wasn't easy at all to admit this.

"Because... _I_ changed. And so did Mai, and you. So I thought perhaps Azula can change, too," she admitted. "And I kinda think that's why you're letting her stay on the island."

Zuko didn't deny it. He didn't _admit_ it, either, but Ty Lee thought it was a good start.

"Good luck," he said at last, with the tiniest of smiles.

For now, that was enough.

 

* * *

She was nervous during the whole trip. She couldn't help it. Oh, she was still certain that she wanted to do this, but... what if Mai was right? What if it _didn't_ go well? Ty Lee had to admit it: she might just be setting herself up for another round of heartbreak. She did believe, with all of her heart, that living with her doubts would be even worse. It just didn't make this part of the plan any easier to bear.

After several talks with Zuko, they had decided that the best course of action was to avoid drawing attention. She traveled to Ember Island like any other tourist, in a boat full of happy strangers going on vacation. Once she arrived, she knew how to find their old summer house. It didn't take her long to reach the familiar building.

Lo and Li knew better than to try to surprise Azula. She was waiting for her, standing near the entrance, looking as regal and dignified in her casual clothes as she did in the combat outfit she used to wear. After all, it had always been about her attitude, not her looks. Still, the details helped. Perfect hair. Perfect make-up. Perfect _everything_. It made Ty Lee forget what she had planned to say.

"Um," she muttered, awkward. "Hi."

"What exactly do you think you're doing here, Ty Lee?"

"I came to see you," she replied. What little was left of her confidence threatened to disappear any moment now. Azula frowned at her, which didn't help in the least.

"And did it ever occur to you that you might not be welcome?"

"... yes," Ty Lee admitted. "But I had to try."

They stood in silence for a few moments. Azula's look didn't waver, and it was making her more and more uncomfortable. In the end, Ty Lee was the first to lower her gaze, biting her lip.

"I'll leave if you want me to –"

"Don't be ridiculous," Azula interrupted. "I didn't dress up for nothing."

"... right." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Then she realized that she wasn't giving the most confident image, here, and made an effort to straighten up. "Sooo... what would you like to do?"

Azula raised an eyebrow at her. Ty Lee tried very, very hard not to flinch.

"You haven't even made any _plans_?"

"Um, well –" She stopped herself half a second away from saying that she hadn't known what to expect. "I'm more the improvising type."

"So you have no idea. Great." Azula didn't bother to hold back a sigh – or maybe she did it on purpose to begin with. "Come in. We'll have some tea, at least."

"Sure," said Ty Lee, and followed her inside.

The house looked completely different from the last time she'd been there. Back then, it had been abandoned, almost empty. The royal family had had other things to focus on than spending their summers on Ember Island, and the years of solitude had showed. But all of that had changed now. It was... nice. Once again, it was a place where people _lived_ , full of energy. The furniture and decoration were to Azula's tastes, which meant there was nothing of the gaudy pink from Lo and Li's own house that Ty Lee had enjoyed so much. Everything was, of course, perfectly in order. Spotless.

It didn't seem artificial, though. It was just fitting to her personality. Azula had given her own touch to the house, and Ty Lee couldn't help but consider that a good thing. Sure, her own style didn't really have a lot in common with this. She couldn't have spent a week here without filling it with clashing colors and random trinkets and rearranging all the furniture so the energies flowed better. But that wasn't the point at all. Azula was making it hers – in a _creative_ way. That meant a lot.

Ty Lee didn't spend a long time taking in her surroundings, however. Tea was already prepared, perhaps just in case, perhaps because Azula had planned this since the beginning. It was hard to tell, with her. But she probably had a better idea of what to expect from Ty Lee than the other way around. It made her a little uncomfortable, truth be told, to see her friend was still set in her controlling ways. It wasn't anything big, but...

... no, there was no point in worrying. This was about being ready to take care of visitors. It was what any good host would do, and it had nothing at all to do with wanting to control other people's lives. Or, at least, so she tried to convince herself.

"So? What are you going to tell me?" Azula asked, once they had both sat down. "Surely you can't expect me to have anything to say about _this_ place, so you better bring some interesting news."

"Um. Sure," she replied. It took her a moment to realize what her friend had done. Before the conversation even started, she had managed to deflect it away from herself and whatever she had been doing for the past couple of years. Ty Lee was outmaneuvered without having acted at all.

" _Well_?"

"I've been living in Kyoshi Island," said Ty Lee. She felt it was better to keep it personal instead of talking about the greater, political news. Azula might be far more interested in the latter, but... it didn't seem like a good idea to bring that up so soon. "It's... kinda cold, really, but nice. Even if it's a bit weird not to travel around all the time anymore."

She paused for a moment, eyes widening at the sudden revelation, and grinned.

"Guess that's something we have in common!"

Azula glared daggers at her. Well... bad move, then. So much for being spontaneous. She'd have to be far more careful, if she wanted to keep her friend in a good mood. It was going to be difficult. Ty Lee had always been one to go with the flow, and just say whatever crossed her mind at any given time. It wasn't always the smartest tactic; she knew that already. But that didn't mean she had learned to control it yet.

"Is that what you've been doing all this time, then?" For a moment, Azula's disdain almost made her sound like Mai. "Living a boring peasant life on a boring little island?"

"It's not that bad," Ty Lee replied, frowning. It was funny, how she felt the need to defend her new home. She'd grown fond of it without even noticing it. "Actually, it's not bad at all. I've got friends there. And we keep busy. There's a lot of training to do. I help put on shows in my free time, too."

Azula let out a derisive snort.

"Always the circus freak, I see."

"I happen to _like_ those shows," Ty Lee said, and realized only too late that she was pouting a bit. "And so do the kids. They need some distractions, too. It's a tiny island. There isn't a lot to do there."

"Then why don't you _leave_?" Azula asked. "What happened to traveling the world and all of that?"

"I still travel," she replied, with a small shrug. "Just not that often, but I still do. Besides, I like it on Kyoshi. And I like being with the Warriors, too. We became pretty close."

Azula's face became unreadable – even more than usual. It was still intimidating, even after all this time. But Ty Lee couldn't help but see it as something good. She had made her friend think about it, at least. That would get a reaction. Not a visible one, perhaps, and probably not a pleasant one. But it might just become meaningful, in the long run.

The conversation remained focused on simple, mundane topics after that. That much made sense. She hadn't expected Azula (or herself, to be honest) to start pouring her heart out on their first meeting. After all that had happened between them, it was a wonder that they could even be civil to each other. It wasn't a bad start at all.

The fact that she could consider it a _start_ was good enough. Yes, Ty Lee decided, she would come back. This plan was definitely going to work.

 

* * *

Ty Lee visited again a few weeks later. She was rather excited about it, but when she arrived, she found that Azula was as unreadable as ever. It was impossible to tell if her friend was pleased to see her, or annoyed, or just resigned. Still, she wasn't going to let that discourage her.

"Do you want to go to the beach?" she asked, cheerful. "It's a gorgeous day! We shouldn't waste it indoors."

"If you insist," Azula said with a shrug. But she didn't protest, so Ty Lee didn't make much of her lack of interest. If they were going to have awkward conversations and even more awkward silences, like the previous time, they might as well be somewhere pretty at least.

The walk towards the private beach wasn't long, so she didn't bother trying to make small talk along the way. It took barely a few minutes until they arrived to Azula's favorite spot. Ty Lee couldn't hold back a little smile at the familiar setting. The last time they had been here, everything had been so... different. She had honestly believed that the four of them could only become even closer friends from that point on.

Funny how briefly that idea had lasted.

She sat down on the sand and stretched out her arms, simply letting herself relax. The salty air of the sea was always great for that. She had grown more and more used to it, back on Kyoshi Island. It wasn't nearly as cold here, though. She almost wanted to go for a swim. But she hadn't brought a bathing suit along (she'd have to fix that mistake, next time) and, besides, she was here for Azula. It wasn't exactly a personal holiday.

Neither of them spoke for a long while. Still, it didn't feel as uncomfortable as she had imagined. Maybe it was the landscape. After some time sitting there on the beach, doing nothing but look at the sea and listen to the sound of the waves, Ty Lee broke the silence.

"It's nice here, isn't it?"

Azula snorted.

" _Right_. It's the best place in the world. And it never _ever_ gets boring."

"You must like _something_ about it."

"Your optimism is starting to get tiring, Ty Lee."

"It's not optimism," she said. For the first time since she had arrived, she couldn't hold back a small but genuine grin. "Come on, Azula. I know you. We both know that if you _really_ wanted to leave, there is nothing in the world that could stop you."

For a moment, Azula just looked at her, without showing any expression. Then she allowed herself a tiny smirk.

"I forget that you aren't always as clueless as you look."

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed. After a short pause, she decided to go ahead and ask something that had been on her mind for a while now. "So... why _do_ you stay?"

Azula didn't reply immediately. Ty Lee was beginning to wonder if she would get any answer at all when her friend spoke.

"That's none of your business."

Well. It had been worth a try, at least.

"You know, if you're really that bored..." Ty Lee hesitated just a little, then went on before she had time to change her mind. "We could train together. Like we used to."

Azula gave her a thoughtful look, as if weighing her choices. Or perhaps she was wondering if Ty Lee truly meant it. It was always hard to tell, with her.

"All right," she said at last. "I'll go get changed."

She was only gone for a few minutes, but the wait was more than a little awkward, anyway. Suddenly Ty Lee found herself thinking of everything that might go wrong with that idea. True, she had been practicing a lot during all this time, and she felt she'd become much better. But who was to say that Azula hadn't done exactly the same? They had always been at about the same level, which was great when they worked as a team, but on those times when they'd tried to play-fight each other... well. Azula wanted to _win_ , even when it was just practice. There was no reason to think that much had changed. What had she been _thinking_?

And more importantly, why hadn't she thought of all this five minutes earlier? Mai was right. She need to start paying attention to what she said _before_ she said it.

She tried her best not to appear nervous when Azula returned. This had been her own idea, after all. And wasn't she here to show she _trusted_ Azula, anyway? She couldn't ruin it all now.

"Ready?"

Azula's smirk was enough to find out that, yes, at least some of her uneasiness was showing. Ty Lee did her best to steady herself and nodded.

"Ready."

Of course, Azula took that as a sign to charge without any kind of warning. But Ty Lee had been expecting that. She jumped aside to avoid her blow. The sand made it a bit more difficult than usual to find a footing, but at least it affected them both equally, so that wasn't too much of a problem.

Which was... odd. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. It _should_ have been a disadvantage. Ty Lee's fighting style was entirely physical; it depended on the way she moved. Azula, on the other hand, could easily attack from a distance.

Except she wasn't using her Firebending this time.

But why? She still had it, Ty Lee knew that. She had seen her use it even to heat their tea. Perhaps she wanted this to last longer...? Then again, this wasn't the time to wonder about it. She needed to keep focused on the fight – she still hadn't ruled out that Azula's reason for doing this could be to take her by surprise later. It was her kind of trick, after all.

That moment, however, never came. They spent a long time sparring, without either of them using their powers; Ty Lee figured it was only fair if she did the same. After a while, her tension disappeared. It felt natural to do this. It was... _enjoyable_. Much easier than talking, even. By the time they stopped, they were both exhausted. And pretty evenly matched, too. There hadn't been a clear winner.

"That was fun," Ty Lee said as she dropped herself on the sand.

Azula sat down in a much more dignified way and shrugged. But she seemed to be in a good enough mood, so Ty Lee decided to risk the question.

"Sooo... why weren't you bending?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Azula replied. "It wouldn't have lasted half a minute."

... right. Ty Lee bit back the comment about how she could say exactly the same about herself and her chi blocking, since that would take them in a direction she'd rather avoid.

"You've been training," she pointed out.

"Of course I have. It's not like I have many other things to do here." There was a small pause. "It's more interesting with someone else."

Ty Lee didn't even try to hide the way she smiled at that. Coming from someone like Azula, that meant _a lot_. Then she noticed how low the sun was, and sighed.

"I'm going to have to go, now," she said. Azula didn't turn to look at her.

"... are you going to come back?" she asked.

"Do you want me to?"

Azula shrugged.

"I don't care."

She decided to take that as a "yes".

 

* * *

"You want me to _what_?"

Great. She had managed to make Mai raise her voice. This was going to be far, far more difficult than she had expected.

"It's just an idea..."

"It's a terrible idea!"

"You'd be surprised," Ty Lee said. "She's changed, Mai. Or... changing. I don't know. But she didn't really want to see me at first, and now she's almost asked me to come back. I think she misses us."

"I am going to marry the Fire Lord," said Mai, her voice flat. "She was going to be the Fire Lord. Somehow I don't think she'll be glad to have me there."

"Look, I know it's... complicated," she agreed. "But maybe if you gave her a chance..."

"Do you even _realize_ what you're asking, Ty Lee?"

She was getting angrier, now. So much that it even showed. Ty Lee bit her lip.

"People gave _me_ a chance."

"If you can't see the difference –"

"I'm not saying it's the same," Ty Lee told her. "All I'm saying is that we should try. She's really lonely, Mai."

"She brought that upon herself."

There was no arguing with that. She really did have a point. Ty Lee wasn't about to give up now; not after all she had already achieved. But she knew Mai, and she was quite aware that insisting would only serve to make her even more stubborn.

"... it was just an idea," she repeated, and, for the moment, left it at that.

 

* * *

Somehow, without either of them planning it, training together had become almost a routine. Ty Lee enjoyed it. It reminded her of the old times – the _good_ parts, when they could simply do things together. There was no need to talk, or even to think too much. When they sparred like this, they understood each other. It was proof of how well they knew each other, how close they had been.

They still complemented each other, after all this time. Although their styles were very different, they were a good match. It was the kind of thing that Ty Lee would have loved to say aloud, if she wasn't so sure that it'd earn her a sarcastic comment, or a bored eye roll at the very least. She supposed it showed, anyway. Ty Lee kept getting more and more confident. She didn't hesitate or second-guess Azula's intentions anymore. They still limited themselves to physical sparring, without either of them using their other abilities.

It worked out better, that way. It was enough for Ty Lee to let herself trust her friend. It seemed silly, now, that the first few times she had doubted Azula's intentions.

This time, however, everything changed.

It all happened very fast, so much that she could barely register what was going on. Azula's move seemed to be perfectly innocent – and then, all of a sudden, there were flames. Ty Lee didn't even stop to think. She dodged, reacting on instinct, and blocked the chi flow on Azula's arm. But she couldn't help losing her balance, shocked as she was, and ended up sitting on the floor, breathing hard.

"How dare you!" shouted Azula. It wasn't a scream of fear. She was _angry_ , and it was terrifying.

"I'm sorry!" Ty Lee exclaimed, instinctively holding her knees towards herself and hiding her face in her arms. "I'm sorry! It was a reflex!"

"A _reflex_? Is _this_ how you train with your new little _friends_ in Kyoshi?"

"... yes, actually." She lifted her head just enough to look up. "Suki says it's good practice. And I've been teaching the others to –"

"I don't care!" Azula interrupted. "That's not why you did it now! You were scared of me!"

"I–"

"Well there's your answer, isn't it? This is _exactly_ why I'm staying here! Do you think I want to go back there, and see everyone acting like _this_? Like I'm some kind of out-of-control monster who lost her mind? Even _you_ think –"

"It has nothing to do with that!" she snapped. "I've always been scared of you! Ever since we were little girls. It's what you _wanted_."

Azula stood there in silence for a moment, clearly shocked at her explanation. Ty Lee took the chance to go on.

"Besides, I was _defending_ myself! We had an agreement, Azula. You weren't supposed to use Firebending in the first place."

"And you weren't supposed to trust me," she said, once again cold and hard. "I'm a terrible person, remember?"

"... you're not nearly as terrible as you used to be." Ty Lee shrugged. "Look... I'm not saying you should leave the island, if you don't want to. Or that other people won't think the way you just said. But _I_ don't. You know that, right? I wouldn't be here if I did."

Azula looked as if she didn't know how to react. Coming from her, it was quite unsettling. She was _always_ in control. Seeing her like this was... odd. But it didn't take long until she regained her composure. All she did was sit down herself, right beside Ty Lee, who decided to take it as a good sign.

"... why did you do it?" she asked. This time it was Azula who shrugged, avoiding her gaze. _That_ was new.

"I guess I wanted to see what happened."

"Well," said Ty Lee, with a small grin, "you're not getting rid of me that easily."

"Lucky me," said Azula. Her sarcastic tone was quite clear. Still, Ty Lee knew that was as close to a "thank you" as she was going to get.

 

* * *

True to her word, Ty Lee continued visiting Ember Island. She even kept training with her. After that incident, Azula didn't try anything unusual anymore. They went back to physical moves only, just like they had been doing earlier. She supposed it was true, then, that her friend had simply wanted to see how she would react.

... there could have been a better way to find out, sure. But, all things considered, Ty Lee wasn't _too_ angry. In the end, she had made her point.

However, there were still some other things that needed fixing.

"What about Mai?" asked Azula one day, all of a sudden, after they finished their practice. "Isn't she the least bit curious about me?"

"It's not like that. It's just..." Ty Lee hesitated, wondering how to say it right. The last thing she wanted was to make Azula angry, but she knew that anything less than the truth would upset her even more. "She didn't think you'd want to see her."

"And I don't," she agreed, but her voice was cold. "I don't even care about her."

"... that's not true."

"Yes, it is. But I guess you're still under the impression that I care about _you_ , aren't you?"

"You did once," Ty Lee said quietly. "We were your friends."

Azula let out a short, bitter laugh.

"Of course you'd think that," she said. "You believe the world is made of rainbows and pink bubbles and ostrich-ponies. You were _tools_."

"No," Ty Lee insisted, her voice firm. "Not completely. I know I've never been the smartest one of us, but I'm not a fool, either. And I _know_ you, Azula. If we were just as expendable as everyone else, then why did you get so angry when we finally stopped listening to you?"

"You 'stopped listening to me'. Right. What a cute way to say it." Even the fake amusement was gone, now. She was cold, ruthless, aiming for where it hurt the most. "You betrayed me, Ty Lee. It's a bit too late to try to sugarcoat it."

Ty Lee couldn't help but look away. It was incredible, how she still had that effect on her. Even after all this time. Azula had always known exactly what to say, hadn't she?

"... you betrayed us first," she whispered.

"That's ridiculous."

"It's the truth!" Ty Lee insisted. "We were your friends, Azula. And don't try to tell me that we didn't mean anything to you, because even if we didn't – then it's just as bad! You made us _believe_ you cared about us. And then you just used us."

"And that gave you the right to _ruin everything_? To side with the one who sabotaged me? If you wanted to be my friend so _badly_ , you should've shut up and done what I said!"

" _No_!" she shouted, and her confidence surprised even herself. "I refuse to feel guilty about that! I did the right thing!"

Azula was silent for what seemed like forever. It took Ty Lee a great effort, but she didn't look away. She didn't take her words back, or bite her lip, or even slump her shoulders a little. She was right about this and she knew it.

"Get out," Azula said at last.

"That's all you are going to say? Really?"

"Get _out_!"

" _No_."

Once again, there was silence. It was hard to tell if Azula was more angry or surprised – when she spoke, her voice was low again, but cold as ice.

" _What_?"

"I'm not leaving," Ty Lee insisted. "Not because you say so. I'm done taking orders from you."

"But _why_?" she asked, and she was beginning to sound frustrated again. "If you hate me all that much, why don't you just _leave me alone_?"

"Because I _don't_ hate you," said Ty Lee. "Because, for some reason, I still want to be your friend. For real this time. And real friends tell each other when they disagree and they fight and they let you know when you're being stupid."

Azula's eyes flashed with rage.

"No one has _ever_ dared to call me –"

"I know," she interrupted. "And that's really, really sad."

"No," Azula snorted. "You know what's sad? They way you keep going on with this little game of yours. Do you really think you can change me, Ty Lee? That you can make me stop being a monster?"

"I don't think you're a monster," she said quietly. "But if _you_ think you are, then – then I can't help you. No one can."

"Then give up already!"

There it was again, a show of frustration. A crack in her perfect façade. As strange as it sounded, that was exactly the kind of thing that gave her hope.

"Not yet. You might still change your mind."

"Oh. Of course. You're going to save me from myself with the power of friendship."

Ty Lee couldn't help but sigh at that, and let herself relax her posture at last.

"I'm not that silly anymore, Azula. I know I can't _make_ you get better. But maybe..." She frowned a little, thoughtful. "Maybe I can help you find a reason to try."

"That's still silly."

"Perhaps." She shrugged. "But I'm going to try anyway."

"Suit yourself," Azula replied, with an overly dramatic sigh. But she didn't order her to leave again – or order _anything_ , for the rest of the day, and that was a victory already.

 

* * *

Ty Lee had expected this conversation to be difficult, yes. But she was prepared for that. This time, she wasn't going to give up.

The problem was, Mai didn't seem like we she was going to give up any time soon, either.

"Didn't we have this conversation already? Many times?"

"And I have better arguments each time," Ty Lee pointed out. Apparently, that wasn't convincing enough.

"I can't believe you still want to do this. After everything she did..."

" _I_ did some pretty awful things, too," she said, staring at the floor. "And I changed."

"... that was different." Mai's voice was quiet, almost gentle. That didn't stop Ty Lee from snapping at her.

"So what? Yes, I was scared of her. Of course I was. But I still could have said no." She sighed, and let her shoulders slump, once again looking away. "Even if I was afraid to stand up to her, I could have... I don't know. Run away, or something. It's not like I didn't _know_ Azula was ruthless. And I still helped her."

"You were never as bad as her, Ty Lee."

" _And_? It's not a competition."

"That's not what I mean and you know it."

"I didn't stop her when Zuko was escaping from the Boiling Rock and she tried to kill him. And everyone else in the gondola." Her voice was harsh, cold. She knew this hurt Mai just as much as it did herself – perhaps even more – but she also knew it needed to be said. "I was _there_ and I didn't do anything."

There was a long moment of silence before her friend spoke again. She didn't even look angry. Just... sad. It wasn't exactly a subject either of them liked to remember, and it showed.

"... but you saved _me_ , that day," said Mai at last. "You're not a bad person. Not really."

"Not _now_ ," Ty Lee said softly. "But that's just it, don't you see? Of course I had to help you. You're my best friend! You changed because you care for Zuko, and I changed because I care for you. Azula doesn't have that."

"Of course she doesn't. She's always seen people as tools. You should know that by now."

"I know," she admitted. "I've been thinking a lot about it, lately. And... I think you're right. She believes everyone does things out of interest, or out of fear. But we can change her mind."

" _How_?" Mai asked. "With the power of smiles and pink sparkles? The world doesn't work like that, Ty Lee."

Confident in her plan, Ty Lee didn't waste time feeling offended by her friend's doubts or sarcasm. She even managed a grin before she explained herself.

"We can show her that we have nothing to gain."

That made Mai interested, at last. She still didn't look _convinced_ , but that made sense; she hadn't heard the rest of her reasoning yet. She didn't interrupt again, though, and waited for Ty Lee to go on.

"She already knows we aren't afraid of her. Not anymore. And now she doesn't have any of her status or power, so she has to see that we aren't trying to suck up to her. If she keeps thinking like she did until now, she won't understand why we're going. It won't make sense to her."

"That's because it _doesn't_ make sense."

" _Listen_ to me, Mai," she insisted. "I know it sounds silly, when I say it like that, but I think I'm onto something. We don't have a practical reason to visit her, and we aren't going because we're scared, so sooner or later she'll have to admit that the only reason to do that is because we care about her."

Mai stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed.

"When did you become so convincing?"

"So, you're coming?" Ty Lee beamed.

"Only to make you shut up."

"Of course."

 

* * *

Ty Lee was bouncing on the balls of her feet. It was very undignified, she knew, and it sort of ruined the mood, but she couldn't help it. It was a combination of being too excited, and nervous about the potential outcome of this reunion, both at the same time.

Mai and Azula were staring at each other, in perfect silence, both quite expressionless. They hadn't even said "hello" yet.

... it was beginning to get uncomfortable.

She almost wanted to intervene, if only to calm herself down, but she had already decided before even coming here that she would let things happen on their own. Pretty much _anything_ she did could be interpreted in favor of one or the other, no matter what her actual intentions were. No, she'd have to wait until either of her friends took the first step. Even if both of them seemed ready to wait _forever_.

"Will you _stop_ that?" Azula snapped at last. "It's really annoying. You're not a five-year-old, Ty Lee."

"Hey! Leave her alone!" said Mai. "If it wasn't for her, you'd still be all on your own getting bored here."

"Well, I didn't ask you to come! Either of you! So don't expect me to be grateful because you finally remembered I _exist_ after happily ignoring me for years."

"Is _that_ the way you see it? Really, Azula? _You_ are the victim here?"

"Don't fight. Please," Ty Lee almost begged, unable to stay silent any longer. "That... that really wasn't the idea."

"You should have thought of that earlier," said Azula. "This is clearly not going to work."

"... this is ridiculous," Mai sighed.

"The one thing we agree about, isn't it? Go away, Mai. Back to dear Zuzu. You shouldn't have come here in the first place."

"No," said Mai, "I meant _you_ are being ridiculous. And I'm glad I came. It's clear that you need someone to knock some sense into you."

For the first time, Azula's expression cracked. She was furious – whether it was new, or she had just stopped hiding it, it was hard to tell.

"Is that how you talk to your princess?"

"You are not my princess. Not anymore."

Ty Lee held back a gasp. It was true, of course. It was also something she would have never dared to say. Not quite like that. But Mai had always been more direct than her. More honest.

"Then what are you doing here?" Azula shouted. "Why did you even show up here?"

"Because I'm an idiot, I guess." Mai shrugged. "And I'm not leaving. We can be just as stubborn as you, Azula. I think this pretty much proves it."

"... you two make no sense. No sense at all."

"Come on," said Ty Lee. "Please, Azula. Give us a chance. It's worked for us so far, hasn't it?"

She smiled as prettily as possible, which worked with almost everyone, truth be told. Azula just stared at her, unimpressed. Then she sighed.

"Fine," she said at last. "I'll do it. If Mai promises not to have any sudden change of heart again."

Mai tensed visibly, and for a moment Ty Lee feared that they weren't ready for this after all. But she didn't rise to the bait. She glared at Azula, hard, but her voice was a model of calmness when she replied.

"I told you already. I'm going to be very stubborn about this."

There was another meaningful silence – shorter, this time – and then Azula simply turned around and started walking towards the beach.

"I'll hold you to that," she warned them.

"Whatever," said Mai, but she started to follow.

Ty Lee grinned to herself all the way down to the shore. A few years earlier, she would have squeezed both of her friends into a single hug, whether they liked it or not. She was aware, of course, that it would be a very bad idea to do that now.

But who knew? Perhaps she might be able to do it again, sometime soon.


End file.
